Forsyth Sheriff's Lieutenant to Donate Pumpkins to Honor Late Son

For the 19th time, a Forsyth County law enforcement officer will be packing a truck full of pumpkins and donating them to children at a nearby hospital in memory of his son who died of cancer.

Lt. Tommy Hunter’s son Bubba was diagnosed with stage IV neuroblastoma, a rare childhood cancer, when he was just 9 years old. While battling the disease at Scottish Rite Hospital in Atlanta, Bubba and Tommy were carving a pumpkin to bring a sense of normalcy to their Halloween.

Bubba asked his dad to save some of the seeds from their pumpkin, because Bubba planned to plant the seeds after he recovered from cancer. Once the pumpkins had matured, Bubba wanted to bring them back to Scottish Rite in a year to encourage other kids and their families who were struggling with life-threatening illnesses.

Bubba Hunter died on June 21, 1996. He was weeks shy of his 12th birthday.

“Those of us who have worked for Lieutenant Hunter over the years know how deeply he cared for his son and how he continues to honor Bubba’s memory in so many ways,” the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office wrote on its Facebook page Sunday.

One way Hunter honors Bubba’s memory is by carrying out Bubba’s wish to donate pumpkins to children battling disease at Scottish Rite Hospital. Every year since Bubba passed away, Lt. Hunter has brought pumpkins to the hospital to cheer up patients and families and provide a welcome distraction from their life-or-death struggles.

This year, Hunter’s homage to his son will continue with a gift of 250 pumpkins, donated by Burt’s Pumpkin Farm in Dawsonville.